In a text I received today, someone I know referred to Depot Town as “little Ann Arbor.” My sense, given the ensuing exchange, is that he didn’t intend it to be a compliment. He asked me if, since I took a stand way back when about the Quizno’s that had opened in Depot Town, I’d be taking a similar stand against Babo, the Ann Arbor “way of life” company that just announced they’d be opening a location on Cross Street, down the block from Aubree’s, and across the street from where that Quizno’s opened and then quickly closed… I’m still thinking about how I should respond.
For what it’s worth, I completely understand the concern. Ypsilanti is changing. And, to be honest, it kind of sucks in a lot of ways. Things that I loved dearly back in the early ’90s, like sitting next to stove at the old Frieghthouse cafe, drinking at the Elbow Room, and seeing bands at the Green Room are gone. And there seems to be a lot of outside money rushing in all of a sudden, speeding this transformation. Not only did we just have this announcement about Babo coming to town, but, in the last few months, we’ve also heard that a chef from Ann Arbor would be opening a place on Michigan Avenue, and a corporation owning several restaurants in Ann Arbor would be developing the Thompson block. It just feels as though we’ve reached some kind of tipping point, where, all of a sudden, due to rising rents in Ann Arbor, and changing perceptions about how terrifying of a place Ypsilanti is, people from Ann Arbor have decided it makes financial sense to be here. And it’s rubbing a lot of people the wrong way. It feels, at least for me, as though we no longer have control over our own destiny.
Personally, I’m torn. I’ve seen the city’s balance sheet, and I know, if we want to keep providing services, and fend off an emergency manager, we’re going to need to increase revenues. And people here need jobs. A lot of us, myself included, live in Ypsilanti, but work in Ann Arbor. And I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that we’d like to be able to have more opportunities here, closer to home. At the same time, though, we don’t want change. And for good reason. We’re here because we love this city, and its people, and we don’t want those things to change. We don’t want our neighbors to be priced out of their apartments, and for the slick and shallow veneer of Ann Arbor (no offense) to extend its reach into our community.
This is something that I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time, but I just haven’t been able to find the words. I honestly think about every day… How do cities grow without sacrificing what they are, and what they value?
I don’t have the time to go too deep on this tonight, but here, for what they’re worth, are two related thoughts.
First. Local ownership matters. It’s why, a few years ago, I started looking for a building that I could afford to buy downtown. People who live in this community, and care about this community, are more likely to do right by it. Sure, local ownership alone won’t necessarily stop bad things from happening, but, chances are, a local owner is going to care more than, let’s say, a Northville-based ophthalmologist who seems only to care about the bottom line. It’s something I remember discussing here in the past with Curtis Sullivan, the owner of Vault of Midnight, one of the few things, in my opinion, that still makes Ann Arbor interesting, in spite of all the Starbucks and 7 Elevens. Sullivan, as I recall, told us that his store wouldn’t be where it is today if the owners of his building hadn’t been local people who actually cared more about what would be good for the community than what would pay the most per square foot. And, for that reason, I’m constantly encouraging local people who I know and respect to purchase buildings, because, with ownership, you at lest have some control. And, with this same thing in mind, I’ve started thinking about ways to pool local money to invest in property. I haven’t made much progress yet, but it’s something that I’d like to pursue, assuming my business partner and I are able to get this old building of ours on Pearl Street rehabbed and occupied before the bank takes it away from us. [More on this later, I promise.]
Second. I’ve been thinking about ways to encourage people, especially property owners from outside of Ypsi, to better know the city, invest in its people, and act in such a way as to protect what’s unique about this community. While I’m still not sure what it would look like, I keep coming back to that pledge not to raise taxes, which, for decades, Grover Norquist has so successfully been able to get Republican members of Congress to sign. And I kind of think there should be something similar at the local level. Not about taxes, but about community engagement. Again, I’m not sure what such a document would say, but I’d like to think that it would, at the very least, encourage property owners to consider renting to locally owned businesses as opposed to chains, and ask business owners to involve themselves in our schools by offering internships, support our local non-profits, etc. Who knows, maybe it’s just a card that says, “I promise not to be a dick and jack up prices so high that the people who live here now can no longer live here.” The thing is, I’d like to find ways to encourage people to be more accountable to those of together comprise this community.
Like it or not, the tide is changing. Fortunately, though, the window is still open, and we’ve got an opportunity to guide the growth that’s coming our way before Ypsilanti becomes a bedroom community for Ann Arbor, and our downtown becomes as soulless as Plymouth’s.
For what it’s worth, there seem to be models that work. There are people who have done this well… When I first met Bee, the owner of Beezy’s Cafe, who I think is generally regarded as an asset to our community, she was working for Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor. She wasn’t born here in Ypsi. She hadn’t lived here for decades. But she moved here and built something great. The thing is, she did so in a way that didn’t alienate people. She got to know the city. She moved here. She sought people out to talk. She didn’t just launch with a press release full of cringeworthy buzzwords. And I think that’s the distinction. People, at least from what I can tell, aren’t pissed that outsiders are coming in and opening places. They’re pissed at the way they’re doing it.
As for Babo’s, I don’t expect I’ll be fighting it. I’ll save my vitriol for the chains, like Family Dollar. I will, however, keep thinking of ways to increase local ownership and accountability. And, for what it’s worth, I think we need to have more open conversations about these issues. If we don’t do it now, we likely won’t have another chance.
Here’s for those of you who might have missed it, is a clip from the the article by Tom Perkins about the Babo opening that was just posted by the Metro Times, which kind of goes deeper into the local debate over Babo.
…On one hand, its supporters point out the obvious benefits: Babo sells high quality products, fills a vacant space, creates jobs, pays taxes, sources from local producers, and offers variety. Sure, the price point is high, but everyone loves Go! Ice Cream, and those aren’t cheap cones.
And supporters also point out that Babo isn’t the first Ann Arbor-based business to cross US 23. Ypsilanti is an independent town that is fiercely protective of its identity and is often suspicious of Ann Arborites. A2Vintage, photographers/marketers Chin Azzaro, and Thompson Block developers A2Mission (Blue Tractor, Jolly Pumpkin, and Grizzly Peak) are among Ann Arbor expats or residents doing business in Ypsi who aren’t viewed as gentrifiers. But Babo doesn’t seem to be getting the same welcome.
As one resident put it on Facebook, the brand holds “a culture that is very much not Ypsi-like” and “embraces some of the worst traits of A2.” That seems to sum up the opposition’s assessment. The source of that feeling could start with the price point, as there’s some skepticism over whether expensive cold pressed juice drinks and $125 juice cleanses are going to fly in Depot Town. And there’s concern over what that means for future developments.
There’s also some question about Babo’s status as a true “mom-and-pop” venture. The store is Babo location number three, and is a part of the Savco Hospitality Restaurant Group, a company founded by Ann Arbor restaurateur Sava Lelcaj that’s composed of five food businesses.
Beyond that, the sentiment could partly be attributed to Babo’s/Savco’s somewhat over-the-top marketing campaign, which presents Babo as a soulful “way of life company” designed to “fuel and enrich our guests’ lives with honest and delicious foods.” Its customers are “beloved”; its an “inspirational” brand; and its locations are each “journey of food exploration” that improves the Ann Arbor dining landscape.
In other words, you’re a much better person, and the world is a better place, if you spend money here. Some people are skeptical of that sort of pitch, and the same goes for slick marketing campaigns that seek to convince customers of a business’s soul. For evidence, see the Shinola debate that still simmers in Detroit…
[Babo’s response, in which they say they “simply love the community and want to be a part of it” can be found the chains.]
The bottom line, at least for me, is that if cities aren’t growing, they’re dying. And, if Ypsilanti wants to avoid the fate of other Michigan cities that have gone into receivership, we need to fill our storefronts, encourage people to invest, and attract new people. The question is, how to do it in such a way that those who call Ypsilanti home aren’t either further marginalized or forced out altogether. We need to identify models that work, and we need to implement systems now to ensure that these well known problems associated with economic development are mitigated. I’m sure there are other ways to go about it, but, as I said, I think accountability and local ownership are the key. And that’s where I think I’ll focus my time.
